Kings Cup series opens with rapier and dagger, longsword follows in Virginia

Kings Cup did not start as a one-off rapier-and-dagger tournament in Lorton. It opened as the first leg of a five-event season, and that changes the math for every fencer who walked in with an eye on points, placement and the year-end standings. With a longsword stop scheduled for June 21 in Lorton, the series is already asking competitors to think beyond a single bracket and treat each weapon set as part of a larger campaign.

That structure gives extra weight to every result. The 2026 Kings Cup format awards points for attendance, passing elimination rounds, winning semifinal bouts and taking first place, then rolls those totals into separate Open, Underrepresented Genders and Veteran series races. Organizers say the season began in April and was built after careful consideration as a multi-event circuit in which fencers can compete for prizes across different events and weapons. They also frame Kings Cup as the spiritual successor to Capitol Clash HEMA Open, which ran from 2015 to 2020.

The rapier-and-dagger opener drew a solid field across divisions. HEMA Scorecard listed 27 Open entrants, 12 Veterans aged 40 and older, and 6 URG entrants. HEMA Ratings separately logged 32 fighters in mixed and men’s steel rapier and dagger and 21 in the URG steel rapier-and-dagger category, underscoring how the results will feed into the wider performance ecosystem that tracks tournaments across the sport.

On the podium, BD Madlinger won the Open division ahead of Brandon Ransbury and Kevin Rezac. Dylan Wittkower captured the Veteran title over James Darling and Mike Gilding. Beatrice Ferraiuolo topped the URG bracket, with Megan Fornasar second and Jenevieve Frank third. Those names now carry not just a tournament result, but an early-season points foundation that can shape the rest of the Kings Cup ladder.

Metropolitan Historical Fencing Academy is running the series from its Lorton base at 7406 Lockport Pl Ste 6, bringing more than 20 years of experience to a format that spans longsword, rapier, saber and smallsword. Founder David Rowe is listed as a tournament director and organizer for Kings Cup, while head coach Mariana Lopez is identified as a founder, coach, referee and tournament organizer. The academy’s rapier-and-dagger curriculum centers on Renaissance rapier and dagger, and its gear guidance calls for at least lacrosse-level protection on the dagger or off-hand glove. In a niche sport that relies on rankings, ratings and repeat participation, Kings Cup is setting itself up as more than a bracket. It is trying to become a season.